Battle of Harasta (2017–18)
) Second phase: 29 December 2017 – 17 January 2018 ( ) | place = Harasta, Damascus and Rif Damascus, Syria | result = Indecisive * On 7 January, the Syrian Army lifts the siege of Harasta vehicle base laid by rebels on 29 December * Rebels retain control of the captured al-Ajami neighborhoodالمعارضة تسيطر على أحياء في حرستا وتقطع طرق إمداد النظام | combatant1 = Ahrar al-Sham Al-Rahman Legion Tahrir al-Sham | combatant2 = Syrian Arab Republic * Syrian Armed Forces Russia Arab Nationalist Guard Fatah al-Intifada | commander1 = Saleh ‘Antar (commander of Ahrar al-Sham forces in Harasta) المصدر نيوز|date=21 November 2017}} Asim Basha Abu Jafar al-Shami, Ahrar al-Sham regional commander Abu Thaer Sawan (al-Rahman Legion's 10th Brigade commander) Abu Muhammad bin Laden ( ) Abu Omar ( ) Hassan Al-Boshi (al-Rahman Legion field commander in Harasta ) Abu Talal Al-Qabouni ( ) Abu Mohammad Tahoun ( ) | commander2 = Maj. Gen. Walid Khawashqi Brig. Gen. Mohammad Nayouf (Republican Guard's 105th Brigade commander) Brig. Gen. Ali Badran (Special Forces Commander) Brig. Gen. Mohamed Jenad Brig. Gen. Ali Diyub (Republican Guard's 138th Armored Regiment commander) Brig. Gen. Habib Mehrez Yunus Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Yunus ( ) Brig Gen. Haider Hassan Brig. Gen. Muhsin Baaiti Maj. Gen. Hassan al-Kurdi | units1 = Ahrar al-Sham Al-Rahman Legion *10th Brigade Tahrir al-Sham | units2 = Syrian Army * Republican Guard **105th Brigade **106th Brigade **402nd Battalion *3rd Armoured Division ** Qalamoun Shield Forces **Storming battalions * 4th Armoured Division **42th Brigade **555th Special Forces Regiment * 9th Armoured Division *10th Mechanised Division Air Force Intelligence Directorate *Ground forces Ministry of Interior *Criminal Security Directorate ** Damascus Police * Syrian Special Mission Forces National Defence Forces and other regional militias *Homeland Shield Forces | strength1 = | strength2 = | casualties1 = First phase: 50 killed and 50 wounded (SAA claim) Second phase: 94+ killed (SOHR claim) | casualties2 = First phase: 54–100 killed (pro-rebel claims) Second phase: 47+ killed (SAA claim) 79+ killed, 15 captured (SOHR claims)Consecutive Losses Hit Syrian regime forces in the Vehicles Base of Harasta | casualties3 = First phase: 41 civilians killed Second phase: 170–190 civilians killed | campaignbox = }} The Battle of Harasta, codenamed "They Were Wronged", was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels against positions of the Syrian Arab Army in Harasta, a northeastern suburb of Damascus, during the Syrian Civil War Background Harasta, in the eastern Ghouta area, had been a rebel-held city for parts of the Syrian Civil War, despite its close proximity to the government-held capital. After the government's victory in Eastern Aleppo in late 2016, government forces turned their attention to the Damascus suburbs, targeting Wadi Barada, and eastern Ghouta (see Qaboun offensive (2017)).Hiba Dlewati "Years-Long Truces End As Government Tightens Control on Damascus" Syria Deeply, 18 May 2017 During the East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2017), rebel groups Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar Al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam and Free Syrian Army-affiliated al-Rahman Legion vied for control of the area. This fighting came to an end in late spring. On 22 July 2017, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that a de-escalation agreement had been signed in Eastern Ghouta following talks between Russian military officials and Jaysh al Islam.No less than 534 Barrel Bombs in October 2017, Syrian Network for Human Rights, 9 November 2017 On 16 August 2017, a Failaq al Rahman representative and a Russian representative signed an agreement which established Failaq al Rahman's inclusion in the de-escalation zone. This agreement came into effect on 18 August 2017. Despite the de-escalation treaty, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that government bombing resumed in Eastern Ghouta on 27 September 2017.More casualties raised the death toll to 4 persons after the first bombing on the Eastern Ghouta after the cease-fire that lasted for two months, SOHR, 27 September 2017 In October, the government restricted the use of the al-Wafideen crossing, an entry point for merchandise, which led to food and medical supply shortages within Ghouta.Human Rights Watch Syria/Russia: Airstrikes, Siege Killing Civilians, ReliefWeb, 22 Dec 2017 According to the UN and Human Rights Watch, in late October and November 2017, hostilities intensified, with frequent reports of shelling on several densely populated areas of eastern Ghouta. These attacks reportedly targeted Harasta (including one reported strike on a kindergarten on 6 NovemberEight children dead, scores injured after mortar shell strikes East Ghouta kindergarten, SyriaDirect, 6 November 2017), as well as Ein Tarma, Jobar, Kafr Batna, and Jisreen (where a mortar attack on 31 October killed six children, according to Human Rights Watch).Syria: Factsheet - East Ghouta (8 December 2017), REPORT from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Published on 8 Dec 2017Syria/Russia: Airstrikes, Siege Killing Civilians, HRW, 22 December 2017AP, Syrian activists say four children were killed in government shelling, LA Times, 31 October 2017 Further attacks targeted Mesraba, Hamouriyah and Saqba.Human Rights Watch Syria: Children Under Attack in Damascus Enclave, ReliefWeb, 11 January 2018 The offensive First phase On 14 November, a rebel attack was launched on the government armoured-vehicle base in Harasta.AFP, Syria: at least 14 civilians killed in air strikes by government forces, Guardian, 18 November 2017 The rebel forces, led by Ahrar al-Sham, also launched an assault against Syrian Army positions in the Police Housing area of the Harasta suburb. Shortly after, the rebels captured an army outpost and killed Major General Walhid Khawashqi. المصدر نيوز|access-date=16 November 2017|language=en-US}} Two points within the perimeter of the base were captured by the militants on the morning of 15 November. According to pro-government sources, the points were recaptured by the army in the evening amid airstrikes on rebel positions conducted by the Russian Air Force. المصدر نيوز|access-date=16 November 2017|language=en-US}} The rebel attack was considered by the Syrian government to be a violation of the Russian-brokered de-escalation zones put in place in May. In retaliatory attacks, aerial strikes and shelling hit Harasta, Irbin, Mesraba, Hamouriyah, and Saqba towns in Eastern Ghouta with at least eight civilians killed and about 94 wounded in the first 20 hours. On 16 November, government sources said the attack was repelled, but rebel group Ahrar al-Sham released videos allegedly showing the group's fighters within the base. Later in the day, Ahrar al-Sham reportedly captured a command post near the Regiment 46 base. المصدر نيوز|access-date=16 November 2017|language=en-US}} In retaliation for the Ahrar al-Sham attack, the government conducted an aerial bombardment of rebel-held areas, according to an ADP photographer and opposition sources. The World Health Organization reported that from 14 to 17 November, 84 people were killed and 659 injured, including hundreds of women and children. Human Rights Watch documented that Hamouriyah, a densely populated residential town near the center of the besieged enclave controlled by Faylaq al-Rahman, was repeatedly struck by Russian or Syrian cluster munitions on 19 November, and multiple airstrikes hit Irbin on 23 November. On 25 November, all of the areas captured by the rebels in Harasta were reported by pro-government sources to have been retaken by government forces, المصدر نيوز|access-date=25 November 2017|language=en-US}} but the rebels said they repelled the army's attack on their positions inside the base. Government aircraft were reported to have bombed a crowded public market in Misraba, to the east, as part of its counterattack on rebel positions, killing at least 16 civilians.Warplanes bomb crowded market in besieged Damascus suburbs, killing at least 16, SyriaDirect, 26 November 2017 From 14 to 30 November, the Russian-Syrian joint military operation conducted over 400 airstrikes on eastern Ghouta, according to Civil Defense, and SOHR reported that at least 127 people, including 30 children, had been killed by air strikes and shelling in the offensive by the end of the month.Syrian government push for Damascus rebel enclave kills at least 23, Reuters, 26 November 2017 Harasta and other rebel-held parts of the eastern Ghouta were considered to be suffering from a humanitarian crisis due to the government siege. Residents were "so short of food that they were eating trash, fainting from hunger and forcing their children to eat on alternate days", the U.N. World Food Programme said. On 6 December, the World Health Organization reported nearly 500 sick and wounded patients still await medical evacuation from eastern Ghouta, which the Syrian government had not granted.WHO says 480 need to be evacuated from Damascus suburb with worst malnutrition, Reuters, 6 December 2017 Several Syrian and Russian airstrikes on densely populated areas were reported in this period in connection with the Harasta fighting, including one on Harasta on 3 December in which children were reportedly killedReuters, Children Among dead as air strikes pound Damascus, 3 December 2017 and two, on a marketplace and a medical facility, leading to 18 civilian deaths, in nearby Hamouriyah the same day.Syrian, Russian jets bomb residential areas in eastern Ghouta: witnesses, monitor, Reuters, 4 December 2017 Second phase On 29 December 2017, rebels commenced the second phase of the offensive.Exposure of Six Civilians to Poisonous Substances in Eastern Ghouta- Damascus Countryside, Syrians for Truth & Justice, 21 January 2018 Pro-government sources reported that HTS used a car bomb on army positions in Harasta early in the day. Later in the day, Ahrar al-Sham, HTS and Al-Rahman Legion seized over 50 buildings to the west of the base and besieged it, cutting off all supply lines. The rebels also said they took more positions in the Vehicle Base itself. 47 SAA and NDF soldiers were killed in the ongoing offensive, while pro-government reinforcements were being sent to the frontline. On 30 December, a paramedic working for a hospital in Harasta was killed as a result of artillery shelling, according to aid organisations.Hospitals Attacked During Holiday Season, 11 Attacks in Wave Of Violence, ReliefWeb 3 January 2018Syria war: Hospitals being targeted, aid workers say, BBC, 6 January 2018 The UN reported that the Syrian government and Russia began a new air and land offensive on 31 December to reclaim ground in eastern Ghouta.Syria and Russia's latest offensive has killed 177 civilians in 2 weeks, Business Insider, 14 January 2018 That day, a primary health care center in Harasta was impacted by an airstrike, resulting in minor structural damage, according to aid organisations. The defensive On 1 January, fighting raged around the municipal building for hours after rebels reportedly detonated a second car bomb. By the end of the day, the Syrian Army said it had recaptured the Harasta bus station and pushed rebel forces back from the municipal building, while reportedly killing "tens" of rebels. State media says Syrian president reshuffles government, AP, 1 January 2018 Meanwhile, Ahrar al-Sham said it was negotiating a passage out for government forces trapped at the Vehicle Base. According to opposition sources, at least 34 rebels were killed and dozens wounded from both sides since the beginning of the second phase. Pro-government and Russian bombings killed at least 36 civilians and wounded many more in rebel-controlled Harasta as well. On 2 January, the Syrian Army reportedly recaptured four blocks near the municipal building and were pushing towards the Al-Barazi hospital. Meanwhile, rebels were still trying to capture the Vehicle Base and municipal building, despite heavy artillery and airstrikes, managing to widen their control of the army base.Syrian army preparing an assault to end rebel siege of base east of capital, Reuters, 3 January 2018 On 3 January, the Syrian Army and Russian Air Force escalated bombing of rebel-held areas with the intention of relieving the 200 troops trapped in the base.Zeina Khodr Government air raids intensify in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, Al-Jazeera, 3 January 2018 Strikes on Mesraba and Arbin on 4 January reportedly caused dozens of deaths, including civilians and children.Syria war: 'Russian strikes' kill 25 in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, BBC, 4 January 2018Syrian civil war: Russian jets suspected of killing at least 30 people after bombing residential buildings near Damascus, Independent, 4 January 2018 On 4 January, the Syrian Army began their counter-offensive to relieve the siege on the Armoured Vehicle Base. Government forces recaptured "dozens of buildings" and the Syrian Army advanced to within of the Vehicle Base. During the fighting, an air-strike hit a building near the rebel positions, leaving 16 rebel fighters dead. On 5 January, the Syrian army reportedly recaptured the Basher Hospital from the rebels as part of a renewed push in Harasta district and were within of the military vehicle depot base from the western direction. Further pro-government airstrikes on residential areas of Harasta were reported on 6 January.Watch: Workers rescue Syrians after airstrikes hit near Damascus, Washington Post, 6 January On 7 January, pro-government sources reported that the 4th Armoured Division captured a mill to the west of the base, enabling them to announce that they had broken the siege. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that government forces had opened a road to the base. The following morning, SOHR reported the Division was attempting to widen the corridor opened to the vehicle base,Few hours after opening a corridor for the besieged members inside it…violent clashes take place near the Vehicle Department, SOHR, 8 January 2018 while the rebels were trying to close the gap.Major factions of the Eastern Ghouta carry out violent attack to close the gap opened by the regime forces towards vehicle management, tens of raids target Harasta and its vicinity, SOHR, 8 January 2018 Meanwhile, the rebels advanced on the opposite eastern side of the vehicle base, capturing two buildings in the area of the Technical Institute.Ahrar al-Sham, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and Rahman Corps advance in the outskirts of the Vehicle Department after a violent attack accompanied by intense shelling, SOHR, 8 January 2018 On 9 January, airstrikes on residential areas of eastern Ghouta continued, with reports of 24 deaths, including 10 children, and at least 13 civilians killed in opposition-controlled Hamourya.Syria: Zeid condemns upsurge in civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib, ReliefWeb, 10 January 2018AFP, Children dead in Syria bombardments as UN aid chief visits, Yahoo, 9 January 2018 By 10 January, the UN had reported at least 85 civilian deaths since 31 December, including 30 children.U.N. says Syrian forces killed 85 civilians in besieged zone, Reuters, 10 January 2018 On 11 January, Civil Defense reported that 85 pro-government airstrikes hit Harasta that day. On 12 January, the rebels repelled a large Syrian Army attack,Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic movement and Jaysh Al-Islam repel a violent attack carried out by the regime forces between [[Douma, Syria|Douma] and Harasta after shelling since morning by tens of raids, missiles and shells] despite pro-government claims that the army and allies managed to recapture all of the territories they had lost to the rebels two weeks earlier. المصدر نيوز|access-date=2018-01-11|language=en-US}} On the same day, the Syrian army captured three farms in the area between Douma and Harasta and was also able to advance in five buildings in the vicinity of the Karajat Al-Hajz (Harasta bus station) near the Governorate Building in the vicinity of Harasta. It was reported that Syrian government forces fired three surface-to-surface missiles filled with poisonous chlorine gas between the cities of Harasta and Douma on 13 January.Nearly 180 people killed in Syria's Eastern Ghouta in 2 weeks, CNN, 14 January 2018Syrian war: Reports of chlorine gas attack on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, BBC 13 January 2018 By 14 January, Civil Defense reported that 177 civilians, including 51 children, had been killed in the previous two weeks, and 811 more have been wounded, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the offensive had killed about 190 people.Syria's Ghouta: 'Nearly 180 killed' in two weeks, Al-Jazeera, 13 January 2018 UNICEF reported that over 30 children were killed and two medical facilities bombed.A bloody start to a new year in Syria, UNICEF, 14 January 2018 By 17 January, the rebels said that a total of 231 government soldiers, including 107 officers, had been killed in fighting since the base was surrounded in late December.Zaman al-Wasl, 231 Regime Fighters Killed in Battle for Harasta's Armored Vehicles Base: Rebels, Syrian Observer, 17 Jan 2018 Fighting in Harasta caused mass displacement. On 11 January 2018, the town's local council estimated that at least 900 families had fled since the beginning of January.Beneath bombs, East Ghouta residents move from town to town ‘with only the clothes on our backs’, Syria:Direct, 11 January 2018 The UN reported at least 85 people, including 30 children, killed, and at least 183 injured, by airstrikes and artillery fire across eastern Ghouta since 31 December in the same period. Residents of Harasta reported moving underground to escape the bombs."Do Others Know We Exist?": A Nurse's Testimony from Syria's Besieged Eastern Ghouta, Global Voices, Translation posted 20 February 2018 Renewed operation On 20 January, Syrian government forces announced renewed operations in the area, between Harasta and Erbeen. This offensive was led by Republican Guard and 4th Division fighters. The government reported that dozens of Faylaq al-Rahman and HTS fighters had been killed in action.Izat Charkatli Syrian Army launches powerful assault in Harasta, Al-Masdar 20/01/2018 On 22 January, local correspondents of Turkish Anadolu Agency reported air and artillery strikes on Harasta.Assad regime attacks E.Ghouta with chlorine gas, Andalou, 22 January 2018 On 1 February, SOHR reported that at least 27 shells targeted Harasta.Syria Deeply Executive Summary for 1 February, 1 February 2018 Aid agencies reported that residents were now permanently sheltered in basements and underground shelters. 15,000 residents of Harasta, Modira, and Al Marj were displaced that week to other areas in the Eastern Ghouta enclave.World Health Organization Health Cluster Weekly Situation Report: Whole of Syria, Week 4, 19- 25January 2018, ReliefWeb On 6 February, local activists reported a new wave of strikes, including ground-to-ground missile strikes on Harasta.AP Airstrikes outside Syrian capital kill at least 45 civilians, Chicago Tribune, 6 February 2018Syria war: UN calls for truce as government pounds rebel enclave, BBC, 7 February 2018 On 8 February, one person was killed by rebel mortar fire in the government-controlled part of Harasta, according to state news agency SANA.200 dead as toll rises over four days of raids on Ghouta, Al-Arabiya, 8 February 2018 Opposition activists reported that 600 air raids had been conducted on Harasta from 5 January to 9 February.Qusay Noor, The living death of being under siege outside of Damascus, TRT World, 10 February 2018 On 10 February, government sources reported they had "inched forward" in Harasta.Nationwide map of Syria – 10 February 2018, Al-Masdar, 10 February 2018 Civil Defence and SOHR reported multiple air raids on Harasta during the night of 11 February.Syria regime kills 6 civilians in new attack on Eastern Ghouta, Middle East Monitor, 12 February 2018Russian Efforts to ‘Control’ Syria Air Traffic, Asharq al-Awsat Monday, 12 February 2018 Ground fighting continued into the following week, with Al-Masdar reporting on 14 February that SAA and rebel fighters had "traded offensives" in the suburb, causing "some of the fiercest firefights" of 2018.Leith Aboufadel Complete battle map of Syria: mid-February update, Al-Masdar 14/02/2018 The Rif Dimashq offensive (February 2018) began on 18 February, with heavy bombing across Eastern Ghouta. The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis said on 23 February that 80% of people in Harasta were now living in basements to escape the bombs.U.N. Syria aid chief says Security Council must see need for ceasefire, Reuters 23 February 2018 The place was bombed again on 23Horrific moment rebel mortar shell kills 3 children at Damascus school (video), Al-Masdar 23 February 2018 and 24 February.Airstrikes continue to pound Eastern Ghouta ahead of UN vote, ABC News, 24 February 2018U.N. Security Council demands truce as air strikes batter Syria's Ghouta, Reuters, 24 February 2018 A UN resolution on 25 February called for a 30-day ceasefire across Syria. Government ground troops advanced, with Syrian state TV claiming to have captured several buildings in Harasta,AP Violence drops in Syrian capital, its suburbs after UN vote, Yahoo News, 25 February 2018 and Civil Defence reporting air and artillery attacks.Assad regime targets E. Ghouta with gas: White Helmets, Anadolu Agency, 26 February 201 On 26 February, Syrian state TV broadcast live footage showing Harasta being pounded by airstrikes and artillery, saying the target was HTS fighters. The fighting was mostly concentrated in the Harasta Farms area on the edge of town. Monitors and Civil Defense reported civilian mortalities in the fighting.AP UN Leader Says Raging Syria Violence Is ‘Hell on Earth’, Bloomberg, 26 February 2018 On 23 March 2018, the Syrian army captured Harasta. References Category:Military operations of the Syrian Civil War in 2017 Category:Military operations of the Syrian Civil War in 2018 Category:November 2017 events in Syria Category:December 2017 events in Syria Category:January 2018 events in Syria Category:Damascus Governorate in the Syrian Civil War